Guest Blogger: Tommie Rodgers

At the Museum: Collections Database Now Online

Lauren Rogers Museum of Art is pleased to unveil its newly redesigned website, www.LRMA.org. It has a crisp, clean look as well as additional information concerning the Museum, its collections, classes and events. You can keep up with us on a daily basis through Facebook and Twitter as well.

If you need to do art research for your classes or you’re an art lover who just can’t get enough of the Museum’s collections, you will enjoy the access you can have to all of the Museum’s art.

Thanks to a $10,000 matching grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Museum was able to purchase equipment and hire a part-time cataloguer to photograph, scan images, and compile data from the accession records, the artist files, the Museum’s library and the Internet. This compiled information resulted in a well-completed catalogue within the Past Perfect Collections Database system for the Museum staff.

The Museum hired Anna Smith, a former intern, who holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Museum Studies, to compile the information for accessibility. She worked directly with Curator Jill Chancey and Registrar Tommie Rodgers. Since the position was temporary and created just for this grant, the system will be maintained by the curator and registrar.

The Past Perfect Collections Database allows staff to create accession and deaccession records, loans, condition reports, appraisal records, as well as track locations, create exhibit lists and perform research using specific parameters (i.e., Mississippi artists, works on paper, Choctaw baskets, etc.)

The completion of the two-year project now allows the Museum to share selected non-confidential information with anyone who has access to the Internet. This availability means that our local school children, college students, academic researchers, as well as people from all corners of the globe have equal access to any object that the Museum has accessioned into its collection.

When one views a catalogue record, they see an image of the artwork and pertinent data such as artist name, title, date, size, medium, technique, credit line, accession number, provenance, and related publications.

Each image is watermarked with the Museum’s name printed across it in faded letters. This marking is intentional and prevents viewers from downloading or using the images for publication purposes. Anyone interested in using an image from the collection must contact the Museum directly for permission and pay the related fees associated with reproduction rights.

One must also contact the copyright owner when obtaining permission to use an image. While the Museum owns the objects in its collections, we do not own copyright to many of them. In fact, we do not own the copyright on most images created after 1940 so the researcher will need to obtain the copyright permission from the artist or entity representing the artist’s estate. To access the database of artwork, go to the Museum’s website, click on "Collections," then click on "Collections Database." Work can be searched by a keyword or a researcher can perform a random image search.

To request images and permission to use them, click on "Collections," then click on "Rights and Reproductions." Under this heading, one can download the Fee Schedule and the Image Request Form.

I hope everyone will take advantage of the research options now available. We thank the National Endowment for the Arts for their financial support for this project.

Tommie Rodgers is the registrar at the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art.

Only 2 weeks left to see NASA|ART at LRMA

NASA|ART: 50 Years of Exploration will be on view at the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art in Laurel, Mississippi through June 27. The exhibition is organized by SITES and NASA in cooperation with the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

NASA’s historic triumphs and pioneering legacy are well known to millions, but the inspiring rocket launches, moon landings and planetary explorations also have had an impact on the imaginations of America’s leading artists. As the space agency celebrates its 50th anniversary, the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) presents "NASA ART 50 Years of Exploration," featuring 72 works from artists as diverse as Annie Leibovitz, Nam June Paik, Norman Rockwell, Andy Warhol and William Wegman. Drawn from the collections of NASA and the National Air and Space Museum, the exhibition includes drawings, photographs, sculpture and other art forms and media. These works – ranging from the illustrative to the abstract – offer unparalleled insight into the private and personal moments, triumphant victories and tragic accidents that form the storied history of NASA.

For example, in Henry Caselli’s When Thoughts Turned Inward, the artist captures the serene, almost spiritual moment before takeoff, when an astronaut must prepare mentally for a mission. In Chakaia Booker’s Remembering Columbia, the tragedy and pain of the lost Space Shuttle Columbia and its crew are transformed in the twisting tire remnants preserved from one of the shuttle’s earlier missions. Andy Warhol melds Buzz Aldrin’s historic steps on the lunar surface with the unbridled exuberance and flashiness of the 1960s in his neon-lighted Moonwalk silkscreen.

The works featured in the exhibit date from the inception of the NASA Art Program in 1962, when NASA administrator James E. Webb asked a group of artists to illustrate, interpret and elucidate the space agency’s missions and projects. Since then, painters, musicians and conceptual artists have been with NASA every step of the way, strolling along launch pads, training in flight simulators, talking with engineers and technicians and visiting with astronauts before and after their flights.

NASA ART 50 years of Exploration, a companion book published by Harry N. Abrams in 2008, complements the national traveling exhibition.

NASA was established by Congress in 1958 "to provide for research into the problems of flight within and outside the Earth’s atmosphere, and for other purposes." The agency is headquartered in Washington, D. C., with 10 field centers and other facilities across the nation. NASA’s mission is to pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research. www.nasa.gov

The National Air and Space Museum, composed of the flagship building on the National Mall in Washington and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., is home to the world’s finest collection of flight artifacts. From aircraft and space vehicles to engines, art and models, the wide array of the museum’s holdings tells the story of the history and technology of air and space exploration. The museum is also a key resource for research into the history, science and technology of aviation and space flight. www.nasm.si.edu

SITES has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, D. C., for more than 50 years. SITES connects Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science and history, which are shown wherever people live, work and play. Exhibition descriptions and tour schedules are available at www.sites.si.edu.

This exhibition is generously sponsored locally by Cellular South Foundation, Southern Metals Company of Mississippi, The Pruet Companies, RAPAD Drilling and Well Service, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi, Jefferson Medical, Merrill Lynch, and Robison Tire Company.

Educational programming was partially funded through a Smithsonian Community Grant, funded by MetLife Foundation and administered by the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition Service, which is used to strengthen the connections between museums nationwide and their communities.

Image: Robert T. McCall, Apollo 8 Coming Home, 1969; Oil on Canvas, 40 x 49. Courtesy Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Guest Blogger: Angie King

Summer Fun at LRMA


Summertime is here at the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, and the Museum is offering classes for everyone. Free Family Art is open to families with children of all ages. This program will take place every Wednesday in June from 1 - 4 p.m. in the Museum Annex. Families can stop by during this time to complete the week's art activity and take home what they have made. Parents are asked to stay with their children. Registration is not required.

In the month of June, Mark Brown, JCJC art instructor, will teach a found object sculpture class for an age range of junior high to adult. The class will meet on Tuesday and Thursday nights, June 8, 10, 15, and17, from 6 - 8 p.m. in the Carriage House Studio on Seventh Street. Participants are encouraged to bring at least one object from home that has personal significance to incorporate into a sculpture. Other items, such as wood, fabric, twine, wire, string, and metal can be brought to the class to use as well. Participants will learn various sculpture construction techniques. The cost for this class is $40 for Museum members and $50 for non-members.

Children have the opportunity to learn about making clay art in our annual Pottery Camp. This four-day camp will be held on June 15, 17, 22, and 24 in the Carriage House Studio. Children going into grades K5-3rd are encouraged to come from 10 a.m. Noon and children going into 4th - 6th grades should sign up for the afternoon session from 2 - 4 p.m. The cost for this camp is $35 for Museum members and $45 for non-members.

On Saturday, June 12, LRMA will host a Jewelry Workshop with Ellisville jewelry artist Robbin Lee. The workshop will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Carriage House Studio and will introduce participants to basic jewelry making techniques. The class is open to ages junior high to adult and will cost $10 to register. All materials will be bought directly from the artist at the workshop, so participants can choose materials to fit any budget. Everyone will leave with a finished piece of jewelry.

These are just a few of the exciting art opportunities that are being offered this summer at LRMA. For more information on any of these programs, please call the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art at (601) 649-6374 or check our website at www.LRMA.org.



Angie King is the Education Outreach Coordinator at the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art.

Daddy Rich Blues Band to play at LRMA Blues Bash

The Lauren Rogers Museum of Art will hold its 17th Annual "Blues Bash" Friday, June 4 from 6:30 - 10:30 p.m. on the Museum front lawn. This year’s event will feature The Daddy Rich Blues Band.

"Daddy Rich" (Richard Crisman) is a musician and songwriter hailing from Clarksdale, MS, and is currently an instructor at the Delta Blues Museum Arts & Education Program. The Daddy Rich Blues Band plays a mixture of original and popular blues numbers from the Delta, Chicago, and Hill Country styles and has released two CDs, both having received airplay on Commercial, College, Internet, and Satellite Radio stations. The band has also made television appearances on Gene Simmons Family Jewels on A&E, Little People Big World on The Learning Channel, and The Golf Channel.

Blues Bash tickets are $20 and include a barbecue dinner from The Smokehouse of Laurel. Tickets may be purchased at the Museum or by contacting 601.649.6374 or info@LRMA.org by Wednesday, June 2. Guests should bring a lawn chair or blanket to enjoy the fun. In case of rain, Blues Bash will be held at the Cameron Center.

Blues Bash is sponsored by Southern Beverage Company, BancorpSouth, Cellular South, Eagle Transportation, Ellis and Walters Dental Care, Gholson Burson Entrekin & Orr, PLLC, Kim’s Chrysler Toyota, The Koerber Company, Roy Rogers Body Shop, Coca-Cola of Laurel, Laurel Leader-Call, Rock 104, and WDAM-TV.

Proceeds from Blues Bash support the Museum’s education program. To purchase a ticket for Blues Bash or for more information, call LRMA at 601.649.6374.

For more info about Daddy Rich, visit his website: http://sites.google.com/site/daddyrichbluespage/

LRMA Guild of Docents & Volunteers Awards Luncheon

The Lauren Rogers Museum of Art Guild of Docents & Volunteers held their annual awards luncheon Tuesday, May 18, in the Museum's European Gallery.




Officers for 2010-11 are (left to right) Sharon Walters, Treasurer, Louise Welborn, Past President, Cynthia Sheppard, 1st Vice President, Allison Travis, Secretary, and Rosemary Norton, President. Not pictured: Janet Blouin, 2nd Vice President





Guild members who contributed 100+ hours to the Museum in 2009-10:
(seated l to r) Sharon Walters, Gay Morgan, Sarah Walls, Jean Holt, Catherine Nowicki.
(standing l to r) Faye Rogers, Louise Welborn, Allison Travis, Dianne Dudley, Patti Slocki, Cornelia Harrell, Mary Anne Sumrall, Lila Chancellor, Carolyn Mulloy, Cynthia Sheppard, and Becky Dalton. Not pictured: Lynn Busby, Margaret Ann Fortenberry, Sarah McMurry, and Sydney Swartzfager.


Guild members who contributed 50+ hours to the Museum in 2009-10.
(seated, l to r) Nan Abernathy, Jeanelle Smith, Lou Bankston, and Mary Beth Welch.
(standing l to r) Ellen Winter, Donna Applewhite, Billie Mapp, Peggy Melvin, and Susan Garrett.
Not pictured: Marilyn Biglane, Janet Blouin, Joan Brumfield, Jessica Carr, Pat Holifield, Jimmie Leone, Rosemary Norton, Sherry Shows, Ann Cameron Stone, Katie Sullivan, Dave Ann Wheat, and Debbie Yoder

LRMA offers Free Family Art classes

Lauren Rogers Museum of Art will hold Free Family Art classes every Wednesday in June from 1 - 4 p.m. in the Museum Annex. Participants will create a different project to take home each week in this come-and-go class. This summer’s classes will feature guest artists Sean Star Wars, Mark Brown, and Terrell Taylor. The classes are free and no reservation is required.

For more information about summer activities at the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art contact 601.649.6374 or visit www.LRMA.org.

Blues Bash 2010

The Lauren Rogers Museum of Art will hold its 17th Annual "Blues Bash" Friday, June 4 from 6:30 - 10:30 p.m. on the Museum front lawn.

This year’s event will feature The Daddy Rich Blues Band from Clarksdale, MS. Tickets are $20 and include a barbecue dinner from The Smokehouse of Laurel. Tickets may be purchased at the Museum, or by contacting 601-649-6374 or info@LRMA.org by Wednesday, June 2. Guests should bring a lawn chair or blanket to enjoy the fun. In case of rain, Blues Bash will be held at the Cameron Center.

Blues Bash is sponsored by Southern Beverage Company, BancorpSouth, Cellular South, Eagle Transportation, Ellis and Walters Dental Care, Gholson Burson Entrekin & Orr, PLLC, Kim’s Chrysler Toyota, The Koerber Company, Roy Rogers Body Shop, Coca-Cola of Laurel, Laurel Leader-Call, Rock 104, and WDAM-TV.

Proceeds from Blues Bash support the Museum’s education program. To purchase a ticket for Blues Bash or for more information, call LRMA at 601-649-6374.

photo: Left to right: Ed Simmons (The Koerber Company), Rick Burson, Shirley Moore, and Noel Rogers (Gholson Burson Entrekin & Orr, PLLC), Cody McDonald (Southern Beverage Company), Ray Palmer (BancorpSouth), Debbie Blakeney and Tom Colt (Rock 104), Robin Holmes (Ellis & Walters Dental Care), Lisa Lowe (Cellular South).

Guest Blogger: George Bassi

The Lauren Rogers Museum of Art has been under construction! For the past several months, we have been facilitating the construction of new public restrooms as well as the construction of a new museum website.

The completion of a new addition for public restrooms in the upper level of the Museum was much anticipated. The approximately 700 square foot space is located off the stairwell gallery on the Museum’s main floor and features large restrooms and a separate family restroom. I know that this space will be utilized by tour groups and visitors for generations to come.

Of course, adding to a building of historical significance like the Museum is always a challenge. The Museum’s Board of Directors took great care in making the addition appropriate while providing modern amenities for our visitors.

Special thanks go to Board members Mike Foil, Bill Mullins and James Wray Bush as well as LRMA Building Superintendent Todd Sullivan for their efforts in making this project a reality.

Also under construction this spring has been the re-design of the Museum’s website, www.LRMA.org, by Burton’s Computer Resources of Laurel. Under the direction of LRMA Director of Marketing Holly Green, the new, expanded site will be up and running by the end of May with numerous features and more information. Besides a new look, the site will include two new areas of interest, social networking and a searchable collections database.

The Museum will be providing regular updates through Facebook and Twitter as well as continuing the Museum’s blog, Live from LRMA. The LRMA website will provide options for viewers to become fans of the museum through these two social networking sites, and we will be providing current information on Museum events, activities and news.

As part of a two-year digitization project funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, our entire collection will soon be on-line and easily accessed. Under the guidance of LRMA Registrar Tommie Rodgers and Curator Jill Chancey, the museum employed Anna Smith beginning in 2008 to digitize the collection. The LRMA website will contain a searchable database with images of every item in the collection as well as basic information about each object. This search tool will be invaluable for teachers, students and the general public– truly bringing the LRMA collection to the world.

George Bassi is Executive Director of the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art.

LRMA will show Discovery Channel video series

Lauren Rogers Museum of Art invites the public to view When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions on consecutive Tuesdays May 25; June 1, 8, 15, and 22 at 2 p.m. in the LRMA Reading Room.

In conjunction with its current exhibition NASA|ART: 50 Years of Exploration, LRMA will show the landmark series which details 50 years of the National Air and Space Administration. There is no charge to attend the series.

Narrated by award-winning actor Gary Sinise and presented by the Discovery Channel, When We Left Earth is the incredible story of humankind’s greatest adventure, as it happened, told by the people who were there. From the early quest of the Mercury program to put a man in space, to the historic moon landings, through the Soyuz link-up and the first un-tethered space walk by Bruce McCandless, this is how the space age came of age.

"The story of NASA is really America’s story. People coming together with grit, audaciousness and determination to go—quite literally—where no man had gone before," said John Ford, President and General Manager, Discovery Channel. When We Left Earth is a story of great human courage, innovation and groundbreaking science and technology. We are proud to have played a part in preserving NASA’s film archives so that future generations can celebrate this glorious past and dream and build an even brighter future."

The Lauren Rogers Museum of Art is a private, non-profit organization operating for the benefit of the public. The Museum is located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Seventh Street in historic downtown Laurel. The galleries are open from 10 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 - 4 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. For more information call 601-649-6374 or visit www.LRMA.org.

Photo: The mighty Saturn V rocket lifts off. It was and still is the largest, most powerful rocket ever built and launched.

Summer Studio Classes at the Museum

Pottery Camp for Kids will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays - June 15, 17, 22, and 24 from either 10 a.m. until noon or 2 - 4 p.m. in the Carriage House Studio. Children must be entering K5 through 6th grade in the upcoming school year. Participants will be introduced to wheel-throwing, pinch, coil, and slab-building. Cost is $35 for members and $45 for non-members. Pottery Camp for Kids will be led by LRMA Education staff.

A Found Object Sculpture Class will be led by Jones County Junior College art instructor Mark Brown on Tuesdays and Thursdays - June 8, 10, 15, and 17 from 6 - 8 p.m. in the Carriage House Studio. Participants (ages Junior high to adult) should bring string, twine, wire, wood, metal or fabric from home. Cost is $40 for members and $50 for non-members.

A Jewelry Workshop will be taught by jewelry artist Robbin Lee on Saturdays, June 12 and July 10 from 10 a.m. until noon in the Carriage House Studio. Participants (ages Junior high to adult) will learn basic jewelry-making skills and leave with a finished piece. Cost of $10 per session plus cost of materials can be paid directly to Robbin Lee.

Summer Art Camp will be offered in two sessions this year. Participants may sign up for either July 13 - 16 or July 20 - 23, both from 10 a.m. until noon. Children must be entering K5 through 6th grade in the upcoming school year. "Art Detectives" will explore metal embossing, impasto painting, figurative ceramics, and printmaking. Cost is $45 for members and $55 for non-members. Summer Art Camp will be led by LRMA Education staff.

To register for the classes contact the Museum at 601.649.6374 or info@LRMA.org. As class sizes are limited, reservation will only be held with payment.

At the Museum: Hester Bateman, Silversmith

One of the five collections at the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art is our British Georgian Silver Collection, which features silver objects related to the service of tea made during the reigns of the English kings George I, George II, George III, and George IV (overall, 1714-1830). During this period, the British began to import tea from China, and by the 1730s, it had superceded those other exotic imports, coffee and chocolate, as Britain’s favorite fancy beverage. By 1720, it had become the most expensive of all household goods due to enormous import taxes, and so it was kept locked away, carefully monitored by the lady of the house, and the serving of tea was a luxurious process requiring elegant equipment, from kettles to sugar tongs. By the end of the century, however, the taxes had been lowered, and the working classes’ usual afternoon drink, beer, had become rather more expensive. By 1800, nearly everyone in Britain was devoted to tea drinking, and it remains a staple of the British culture today.

The rise in tea’s popularity at first inspired its early adopters to buy imported Chinese tea equipment, but demand soon outstripped supply, providing Britain’s craftsmen and craftswomen with a considerable financial opportunity. Early British silver and porcelain was often inspired by Chinese designs, but soon British silver took on its own design vocabulary.

It was into this environment that the young Hester Bateman (née Needham) came of age. Born in 1708, she married a goldsmith, John Bateman, in 1730, and soon John Bateman’s workshop became a family business. The term “goldsmith,” at that time, referred to nearly anyone in the metal trades, from dealers to burnishers, regardless of which metal was actually being worked. It was in her husband’s workshop that Hester Bateman learned the trade and craft of silversmithing, as did all of her children but one. Little is known of her early life and work, as any work she did in her husband’s shop would have been marked with her husband’s trademark. If he sub-contracted to another, larger shop, that smith would then put his mark over Bateman’s. Because of the collaborative nature of the craft workshop, we know little of Hester Bateman’s creative development. Not until her husband’s death in 1760 did Hester’s creative vision dominate the workshop. She registered her own trademark in 1761; only widows of men with trademarks were allowed to do this. Single women and married women had to work under a man’s trademark. Because of this, it is uncertain how many women worked in the silver trades during the Georgian period. At least forty women registered trademarks during Bateman’s lifetime, but hundreds more worked in the trade without name recognition.

Bateman’s style tended to the Neo-Classical, the dominant style of the late 18th century. She borrowed decorative motifs from Greek and Roman precedents, and chose austere, elegant forms rather than richly decorated rococo forms, a popular style imported from the European continent. Her signature decoration of thin-line beading accented the forms without obscuring them. Within a decade of taking over the business, Bateman was tremendously popular, selling to the rising middle classes (as tea became more affordable) as well as to the usual silver patrons, the church and nobility.

There are sixteen pieces of Hester Bateman silver in the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art collection, ten of which are on display in the Silver Gallery. All exhibit her elegant, Classical forms and decoration and her attention to detail and craftsmanship. They include asparagus tongs, a sweetmeat basket, a very fine teapot, and a sugar basket. One might wonder about asparagus tongs at tea, but the British tradition of “High Tea” was something like a light mid-afternoon meal, and therefore included both sweet and savory items, such as soups and vegetables. The British Georgian Silver Collection came to the Museum in 1972 as a gift from Thomas and Harriet Gibbons, who once owned and published the Laurel Leader-Call.

The Lauren Rogers Museum of Art is open from 10:00 a.m. until 4:45 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. Sunday. For more information about exhibitions, tours, and programming, call 601-649-6374 or visit www.LRMA.org.

Jill R. Chancey, PhD, is curator of the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art.

Free Family Art this Friday , April 30

Lauren Rogers Museum of Art offers a Free Family Art class this Friday, April 30 in the Museum Annex from 2 - 5 p.m. for children of all ages. The class will be led by Meridian Junior College art instructor Terrell Taylor, printmaker, and will include a printmaking activity based on the current LRMA exhibition NASA|ART: 50 Years of Exploration.

The class is free of charge and no reservation is required. For further information contact LRMA at 601.649.6374 or info@LRMA.org.

April Art Talk: Stephen Kirkpatrick

Lauren Rogers Museum of Art will present Art Talk on Thursday, April 22 at noon in the American Gallery. In celebration of "Earth Day," the speaker will be wildlife photographer and author Stephen Kirkpatrick.

Kirkpatrick's appreciation of nature began in childhood. His fascination with nature became a full time career when his father gave him his first camera in 1981. Since then, Kirkpatrick has published more than 2,900 photographs in books and magazines, including National Geographic Adventure, Sky, Skin Diver, Audubon, Gray's Sporting Journal, Natural History, Ducks Unlimited, Outdoor Photographer, BBC Wildlife, National Wildlife, and Sports Afield.

Kirkpatrick has published eleven pictorial coffee table books. His latest, Among the Animals: Mississippi, is his first children’s book. Kirkpatrick’s other titles include Images of Madison County, 25 years of shooting in his home county, Mississippi Impressions, a unique, pre-Hurricane Katrina look at Kirkpatrick’s home state, and Wilder Mississippi, a look at the state’s scenery and wildlife. Romancing the Rain, A Photographic Journey into the Heart of the Amazon was shot over nine years in the jungles of Peru. Kirkpatrick’s near-fatal experience on an ill-fated 1995 Amazon expedition is recounted in the gripping book Lost in the Amazon which was translated and published in Portuguese in 2008. The books Mississippi Impressions, Romancing the Rain, Wilder Mississippi, and Lost in the Amazon were written by Kirkpatrick’s wife, author Marlo Carter Kirkpatrick.

Kirkpatrick’s work has earned international acclaim, garnering awards in several national and international photography competitions. Lost in the Amazon was the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association’s 2007 Book of the Year. Romancing the Rain was a winner in the 2003 Benjamin Franklin Awards and in the Writer’s Digest International Self-Published Book Awards, and was the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association’s 2003 Book of the Year.

Kirkpatrick’s coffee table book Wilder Mississippi was the winner of the 2002 National Outdoor Book Award and the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association’s 2002 Book of the Year. Kirkpatrick won first place in the National Wildlife Federation’s "International Photography Competition" in both 2007 and 2008. He also has twice been named a winner in the prestigious International Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition held in London, England.

Kirkpatrick is in demand as a featured speaker for national conferences and conventions. He has appeared on the syndicated television programs "Wild Things" and "At Home Live," the Christian Broadcasting Network's "The 700 Club," The Outdoor Channel's "Adventure Bound Outdoors," and on several PBS and outdoor network specials.

Art Talk, sponsored by West Quality Food Services, Inc., is free and open to the public. Guests are invited to use the North Garden Entrance and bring a sack lunch. Desserts and beverages will be provided. For more information, call LRMA at 601.649.6374 or visit the website www.LRMA.org.

So this is cool....

SomaFM's "Mission Control playlist: http://somafm.com/play/missioncontrol

According to Soma FM:

Mission Control: Celebrating NASA and Space Explorers everywhere

Live Space Shuttle STS-131 Shuttle Mission Coverage. (Astronaut sleep periods are from aproximately 9am-5pm pacific time so there isn't much activity during that period.)

Soma is playing space-themed music, interspersed with reports on the mission.

Temporary gallery closing

The Japanese Print gallery will be closed through the end of June.

Scholars and researchers, as always, are welcome to call and make an appointment with the curator or registrar if you need to see a particular work.

Come on in, the art is fine!

NASA|ART: 50 Years of Exploration is now wide open and ready for visitors. We had a great turnout to the opening reception last Thursday, and hundreds of visitors on Saturday for the free family art (and science) day. Come ready to spend some time with some of the great artists of the 20th century: Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, and Norman Rockwell, just to name a few. Bring your 3-D glasses to view Stephen Sprouse's dress made with Mars Rover imagery. Sit down and enjoy a video performance by the Kronos Quartet. There's even a "make your own galaxy" art activity. This show has a little something for everyone, young and old. We even have a special bonus exhibit of autographed astronaut photos and memorabilia in the Museum lobby, thanks to a generous loan from a private collection in Hattiesburg.

The exhibit is open through June 27, so do come and see us. As summer approaches, I like to remind people: it's free, and it's air-conditioned.

For more information about the show, visit our Exhibitions page.

Sunday Concert Series: April 18, 2010

Lauren Rogers Museum of Art will present the Sunday Concert Series along with the Hattiesburg Civic Chorus and Concert Association on Sunday, April 18 at 2 p.m. in the LRMA American Gallery.

The concert Romantic Visions will feature the Impromptu Piano Quartet playing works by Felix Mendelssohn and Antonin Dvorak. The quartet is composed of USM faculty members - Stephen Redfield, violinist, Hsiaopei Lee, violist, Alexander Russakovsky, cellist, along with Jones County Junior College faculty member Theresa Sanchez, pianist.

Redfield performs with the baroque duo Haupt Musik. He has made solo appearances with numerous orchestras and has been featured in chamber music programs throughout the United States and abroad in Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Europe, and the Far East. His major teachers were Dorothy DeLay and Donald Weilerstein. He studied baroque violin with Lucy van Dael in Amsterdam. Redfield performs regularly with Santa Fe ProMusica and the Oregon Bach Festival and Sunriver Festival orchestras. As a concertmaster and soloist with the Victoria Bach Festival, his performances have been produced on CDs and broadcast on National Public Radio. This season he was a soloist with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra and will soon be featured in Michael Daugherty’s "Ladder to the Moon," based on the life and art of Georgia O’Keeffe.

Lee has appeared as a recitalist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician spanning three continents. A native of Taiwan, she received her fundamental musical training in Taipei, completed her master’s degree at Columbia University and holds a doctorate in viola and chamber music performance from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music. Her principle teachers include Masao Kawasaki, Catharine Carroll, Lee Fiser, Larry Fader and Ting-Hui Chen. She was previously a member of the viola faculty of the Starling Strings Project at the University of Cincinnati and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra.

Russakovsky studied cello at the Leningrad Conservatory under renowned professors Emmanuel Fishman and Anatoli Nikitin. He received his bachelor’s degree from Jerusalem Rubin Academy, where he studied with Shmuel Magen, and his master’s degree from the Yale School of Music, studying with Aldo Parisot. He holds a doctorate in cello performance from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he studied with Geoffrey Rutkowski and Ron Leonard. A founding member of the Jerusalem String Quartet, Russakovky has performed with the group throughout Israel, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, and France, along with numerous solo appearances. Dedicated to playing chamber music, Russakovsky has performed in the Spoleto Festival’s Chamber Music Series in Italy and with the Western Slope Music Festival in Bonefro, Italy. Russakovsky won the Angela and Maurice M. Clairmont Competition in Tel Aviv, the Performing Arts Scholarship Foundation Competition in Santa Barbara, the Charlotte and Alvin Bronstein Scholarship for the Arts from the Ohaj Festival, and the 1999 Career Grant of the Esperia Foundation. His orchestral engagements include Savannah Symphony, Santa Barbara Symphony, New Haven Symphony and Leningrad Philharmonic.

Dr. Sanchez pursues a varied performing career as a soloist and collaborative musician. She has presented recitals in the United States, Canada, and Europe, and has performed as soloist with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, the USM Symphony Orchestra (including Southern Nights, a recent recording) and The Wind Ensemble. Playing with the Meridian Symphony Orchestra, she premiered and recorded Carey Smith’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Sanchez was the founding Artistic Administrator for the Vicksburg International Chamber Music Festival and performed with artists including Viennese baritone Benno Schollum, Alexandre Brussilovsky, Nathaniel Rosen, and Gary Gray. She performed from 2003 - 2006 with the International Music Institute in Pontlevoy, France, and joined the Touring Artist Roster of the Mississippi Arts Commission in 2003. She was previously on the music faculty at William Carey University. She was recently featured on WQXR (New York) Radio’s Reflections from the Keyboard and WMSV Radio’s High Notes.

This free concert is open to the public and is sponsored by Tim Lawrence of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, LLC of Jackson.

The Lauren Rogers Museum of Art is located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Seventh Street in historic downtown Laurel. For more information, call 601-649-6374 or visit the Museum’s website at www.LRMA.org.

NASA Free Family art day, April 10

This Saturday, April 10, LRMA is offering a free family art day from 10 am to 2 pm. The Museum will offer free art activities, and the Stennis Space Center is sending their educators to do a few free science activities. There will be snacks, music, and lots of fun to be had for the whole family. Don't forget to go inside and see the exhibition, NASA|ART: 50 Years of Exploration - it's a really diverse collection, with a little something for every taste.

Guest Blogger: Lizabeth Brumley

At the Museum –


Many schools have been on Spring Break recently and families have been visiting the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art. As guests sign our register, I learn that children have requested their parents bring them to the Museum or that parents with fond memories of days spent in the library and Museum wanted to bring their children in to share in those experiences. In either case, families are coming to the Museum and both generations are benefitting from their time in the galleries. Children are invited to participate in a scavenger hunt to look for details in the works of art in our permanent collections. This is great way to take some time to examine works more closely and appreciate the beauty and creative techniques of the fine art that surrounds us.

The Museum is often a point of interest for travelers passing through the state. Last year, we had visitors from 41 states and 19 foreign countries. Some have planned their trips to include a visit after reading travel magazines or brochures; some see our billboards and take a welcome break from the road; but many come in because of a recommendation from a friend. Our patrons do a wonderful job of inviting new visitors to the Museum, so that our circle of exposure is ever increasing. There are not too many places that offer so much without charging admission.

We invite you to plan a visit or schedule a group tour to the Museum at any time of the year. Our Museum Guild of Docents and Volunteers are well prepared to educate and enlighten. In addition to our permanent collections, traveling exhibitions are planned years in advance and continuously bring in exciting new exhibits and programming such as the upcoming "NASA|ART: 50 Years of Exploration" exhibit opening April 8, 2010.

We welcome you to take a little vacation close to home, come in often and bring a friend. As our billboard invites - "Come on in, the art is fine!"

We had some spring break fun...

At our Spring Break Art Festival (bottom two pictures) and Spring Break Art Break (butterflies!).